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Most manufacturers offer low-E glass to improve energy efficiency. THE IDEAL HI NGED DOOR A perfect door doesn't exist, but various manufacturers offer critical features that you should look for. hinges, great for handling heavier doors, are also options. Sliding doors depend on rollers and a good lock (drawing facing page). Most of the rollers in sliding doors are zinc-plated steel; stainless-steel rollers, mostly available as an option, make sense when the doors are operating near saltwater. Slider locks should be jimmyproof (that is, engage from below the strike) and provide the necessary muscle to seal the door tightly. Andersen has a good 60 FINE HOMEBUILDlNG lock that reaches out and pulls the door tight against the weatherstripping; Pella has a double lock (one up, one down) that operates with similar efficiency; and most others have a simple latch. Keeping wind and water outside: weatherstripping and sills The problem with any door is that it may leak, a problem that's compounded with French doors. All door and window products made by major manufacturers must pass the Window and Door Manufacturers Association's design-pressure test, which measures the unit's ability to withstand combined wind and water. A rating ofDP40 means the unit must not leak under a wind pressure equal to 155 mph or 8 in. of rain per hour driven at 50 mph. Florida's Dade County knows hurricanes and uses DP40 as a code minimum for all doors and windows; the rest of the country accepts DP25 as a minimum. Drawings: Dan Thornton